Category: Money

September 28, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank Thursday regained control of the country’s runaway short-term rates by restoring a standing liquidity facility after a two-day cash squeeze experiment spread panic in money markets and sent bonds plunging.The government has been heavily borrowing commercial dollars this year and selling to the central bank, which […]

September 27, 2006 (LBO) – Aftershocks of Tuesday’s withdrawal of the central bank’s standing cash facility has hit short-term treasuries, with Sri Lanka’s public debt office rejecting bids at Wednesday’s auction and dealers refusing to discount gilts as prices crashed. Meanwhile the Sri Lanka rupee closed sharply down against the dollar at 103.70 against the […]

September 26, 2006 (LBO) — In a major policy shift, Sri Lanka’s central bank Tuesday allowed the rate at which it injects overnight cash, to move above its policy rate, sending shockwaves through the country’s money markets.However since April the government has raised fuel prices which helps strengthen the fiscal side and in turn reduce […]

Sept 15 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said it was not raising interest rates despite expanding money supply, rising inflation and real interest rates being negative. . The bank said it was holding the repo rate at which excess money is drained from the banking system at 9.125 percent, and reverse repo rate, the […]

August 31, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Thursday announced plans to raise another 100 million dollars through a bond issue to pay for ongoing development projects. Prospective investors can send in their applications from Sept 5-12 and those selected have to pay up by Sept 20, the Central Bank said in a public notice. Investors […]

August 24, 2006 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan rupee firmed up against the U.S. dollar Thursday, while share prices rose on foreign investors’ interest in selected bluechip stocks, dealers said. The broader All Share Price index inched up 0.48 percent to 2,138.05, while the liquid Milanka Price Index added 0.77 percent to 2,726.44 on sales […]

August11 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan government 3-year dollar bond issue had been more than twice oversubscribed allowing the government to raise more money than originally sought.Successful bidders will have to make payments for SLDBs on or before August 18, after a Notice of Acceptance of Application issued by the Central Bank. Investors flocked to […]

July 24, 2006 (Dow Jones)–The Central Bank of Sri Lanka raised the repurchase rate and the reverse repo rate by 12.5 points each over the weekend, the second consecutive hike this year, pushing both rates up to a three-year high in a bid to fight inflationary pressures and support the rupee. But analysts say the […]

July 7, 2006 (LBO) – Colombo share prices closed little change in moderate trade Friday, but the rupee rallied a touch on some dollars sales by state banks, dealers said.They said the benchmark finished in the positive territory thanks to local retail interest in few smaller cap stocks, with institutional interest in selected bluechip counters. […]

July 5, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lankan rupee gained marginally, while shares prices in Colombo finished up Wednesday, as the government stepped up security amid fears of more bombings, dealers said.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam today observe “Black Tiger Day” to honour 261 suicide bombers who have carried out attacks since their first strike […]

July 4, 2006 (LBO) – Shares prices in Colombo closed flat Tuesday on lackluster trade awhile the Sri Lankan rupee gained marginally against the dollar, dealers said. The wider All Share Price Index crept up 0.01 percent or 0.22 points to 2,113.15 on volumes of 6.7 million shares worth 141.42 million rupees. Among the gainers […]

July 3, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka does not need to raise interest rates despite galloping inflation and negative real interest rates, the island’s newly appointed Central Bank governor said Tuesday.The country’s annual inflation rate shot up to 17.7 percent, data showed last Friday, underlining the need for a rate hike. Sri Lanka’s treasury bill […]